New Orleans Hornets 2011-12 Power Rankings, V.9

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Published: March 11, 2012

After beating the dreaded Timberwolves to end a 4-game losing streak, it’s time to once again adjust the 2011-12 player power rankings… or is it?

In case he gets dealt before next week's rankings... a tribute to Chewbacca!

Forgive me for boring you guys, but we have a first this week. For the first time all season, there are no changes to the power rankings (apart from Solomon Jones’ departure). With another week of inactivity, guys like Okafor and Landry could very well fall, but for now, there are no changes that need to be made. Disagree with that assessment? Drop us a line in the comments section and let us know!

1. Emeka Okafor, C: 27 GP, 28.9 MPG, 9.9 PPG, 53.7 FG%, 7.9 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 15.6 PER

Get well soon, Mek!

2. Jarrett Jack, PG: 34 GP, 34.0 MPG, 14.9 PPG, 44.2 FG%, 6.0 APG, 3.7 RPG, 16.9 PER

Jack had a rough start to his week in Portland, but bounced back in his last three, totaling 59 points on just 38 shots. Turnovers were a problem, though, something that usually is not a big concern with him; he had 5 of them in Sacramento on Wednesday, giving him 13 in two games against the Kings this season.

3. Gustavo Ayon, C: 33 GP, 19.9 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 57.7 FG%, 4.6 RPG, 18.1 PER

Ayon is very active both on offense and defense, but sometimes he lacks aggression. In three games this week (he missed the Kings game with a minor injury), Gustavo totaled just six boards, an unacceptable amount. Hopefully his rebounding game returns soon.

4. Trevor Ariza, SF: 31 GP, 34.3 MPG, 11.7 PPG, 42.0 FG%, 5.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 15.0 PER

Ariza had a pretty lackluster week except for his 20/4/6/4 output against the Kings. He made 11 of his 13 free throw attempts for the week, though, and is shooting 10% over his career free throw percentage (67.2%) this season (77.9%).

5. Greivis Vasquez, PG: 41 GP. 23.6 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 40.9 FG%, 4.8 APG, 14.5 PER

Solid week for Greivis in his backup PG role, making 12 of 26 shots and adding in 19 assists. He has improved his below-average turnover rate over the past few weeks as well.

6. Carl Landry, PF: 24 GP, 23.9 MPG, 11.5 PPG, 46.7 FG%, 4.4 RPG, 16.6 PER

Landry could return this week, though there is always a chance that he may not even be a Hornet by the time next week’s power rankings come out.

7. Chris Kaman, C: 33 GP, 27.8 MPG, 12.5 PPG, 42.0 FG%, 7.9 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 14.6 PER

Kaman recovered from a 4-13 shooting night in Portland to make 50% of his shots over the rest of the week, averaging 16 points and 7.3 rebounds over the most recent three games. He also missed his first career triple double by 2 assists in Sacramento, as his 18/11/8 line was potentially his best game this season. If you’re not with us for next week’s rankings, thanks for what you’ve done for our team, Chris!

8: Jason Smith, PF: 21 GP, 21.5 MPG, 8.2 PPG, 47.3 FG%, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 13.9 PER

Better safe than sorry when it comes to concussions; Smith will be back when he’s cleared by team doctors, and not a second before.

9: Marco Belinelli, SG: 41 GP, 30.6 MPG, 11.3 PPG, 41.1 FG%, 35.5 3P%, 2.9 RPG, 10.9 PER

Beli looked like January Beli this past week, shooting 26.7% from beyond the arc and 39.6% percent overall. No shooting consistency + no help in any other stat categories = poor NBA player.

10. Xavier Henry, SG: 21 GP, 15.1 MPG, 5.6 PPG, 40.9 FG%, 2.1 RPG, 11.3 PER

Rough shooting week for Xavier and he only got to the line 4 times, which is already enough information to assume he had a rough week. He continues to show tons of hustle and seems determined to improve, though, so I’ll enjoy watching him try to make the most of his minutes as the season starts to wind down.

11. Lance Thomas, PF: 19 GP, 12.1 MPG, 4.1 PPG, 44.4 FG%, 3.1 RPG, 12.3 PER

Thomas had a career night Friday against Denver, finishing with 18 points via averaging an incredible 3 points per field goal attempt (12-14 from the FT line). Overall, he shot 55% from the field this past week while grabbing 15 total rebounds as well in 22 minutes per game. It would be great to see more of the same from Lance in the coming weeks.

12. Al-Farouq Aminu, SF: 37 GP, 19.3 MPG, 4.8 PPG, 37.2 FG%, 4.3 RPG, 9.1 PER

Aminu played considerably better this week than his stinkbomb of a week last week. He averaged 6.25 points (11-15 from the field) and 5.5 rebounds in about 17 minutes per game. It’s nowhere near enough to get him out of the cellar, but at least it’s a start.

Incomplete: Eric Gordon, SG; Jeff Foote, C

Player Power Rankings is a weekly piece that you can find every Sunday only on Hornets247.com. For past rankings, click here.

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